Baby carriage with collapsible dasher



P 1950 H. w. WICKMAN EI'AL 2,521,434

BABY CARRIAGE WITH COLLAPSIBLE DASHER Filed June 5, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. W. WICKMAN ETAL BABY CARRIAGE WITH COLLAPSIBLE DASHER 7 Sept. 5, 1950 Filed June '5, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 irzazzzfors: Helmer J1. M' /rznarz G eor eAIJTiw ne Y Patented Sept. 5, 1950 1 BABY CARRIAGE WITH ooLLAPsIBLE i DASHER- Helmet W. Wiclki'nan and George A; J. Racine, Gardner, Mass assignors to. Heywood-Wake field Company, Gardner,

of Massachusetts Application une 1948, Serial N0. 31,364

6 Claims. (01. 280-36) 7 at the front of the carriage, the dasher being 'of open'bucket-like form so as to receive the feet of the occupant when in a reclining or sittingposition. It is customary to provide means for manually adjusting the dasher with respect to the carriage body, so as tomaintain the dasher in a substantially horizontal position, as when theoccupant is reclining, and in a turned'down position,as when the occupant is sitting'in the carriage with its feet inside the dasher. Should it be desired to collapse the' carriage with the dasher in its raised or horizontal position, it is first necessary to releasethe dasher in order to permit the parts to be folded down without straining and possibly tearing the flexible upholstery of the body; and experience hasshown that many carriages are damagedin this way through failure to release the dasher manually before swinging down the pusher handle to move the parts into collapsed condition.

The object of thepresent invention is to provide ababy carriage construction of the collapsible type wherein the dasher is so connected to the pusher handle that it will be automatically swung downwardly clear of the folding parts of the body, shouldthe pusher handle be moved to collapse" the carriage with the dasher in its horizontal position wherein it is disposed adjacent to the sides of the body toreceive the feet of the reclining occupant. In addition, the connection between the dasher and the collapsible pusher handle is such that the carriage can be collapsed or extended independently of the dasher, in the event that the dasher already occupies its folded down position.

The above and other advantageous features of the invention will hereinafter. more fully appear from the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible baby carriage equipped with a dasher operating mechanism embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation showing the connection of the dasher to the pusher handle UNITED STAT I PATENT Mass., a corporation i when the dasher occupies a horizontal position.

with parts of the running gear of the carriage being shown in dotted lines in order to simplify the drawing.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the of Fig. 2 in a collapsed position.

Fig. 4-. is a view in front elevation of the earriage shown in Fig. 2, with parts ofthe running gear being removed to show the connection of the dasher, and with the dasher being partially broken away to show the inside of the carriage body.

Referring first to Fig. l, the'invention isshown,

parts for purposes of illustration, as being embodied in a baby carriage of the folding type, having a running gear of conventional construction com prising front and rear axles l and 2 carrying Wheels 3. The axles l and 2 are connectedtogether and held in spaced parallel relationby springs 4 extending lengthwise of the carriage on each side,

The upwardly and inwardly curved ends of'the springs 4 provide a yieldable support for the car'- riage body generally indicated at B, with the ends of the springs being connectedby shackles 5;to a pair of spaced parallel body-frame members 6; These frame members 6 are connected'itogether by cross members I which serve to 51.1.15)? port between them a pair of spaced sidebars 8, with'the cross members 1 and bars 8 con'stitut ing a bottom for the carriage body B. The body B also comprises upwardly extending side panels 9, composed of flexible materiaL'and a back Ill that is mounted on pivots I I provided'by brackets l2 attached to the rear endsof the sidebars 8, so that the back H] can be swung into diffierent positions between the side panels 9, as indicated in full and dotted lines in Fig. 2. H

The carriage body B also provides a dasher L3 of open bucket-like form, and one edge of the dasher 13 provides projecting arms M, the; ends of which are connected by pivots 15 to brackets is attached to the front ends of the; sidebars 8. The dasher I3 is adapted to be swungabout its pivots l5,either into the position of Fig. 2-, wherein the dasher forms a closure for the end of the carriage body in cooperation with theside panels 9, or into the position .of Fig. 3, wherein the dasher [3 extends below the body so as to receive the feet of an infant supported in" a sitting position by the back l0. As best shown in Fig. 1, and in back of the broken awaylfront portion of the dasher IS in Fig. 4, the side panels 9 and back l0 are connected together by :flexible gussets H and. the side panels '9 are also con" nected at their lower edges to the covering of a.

seat I8 which provides an apron I9 extending into the dasher I3, see Fig. 3. It is the object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for insuring that the dasher I3 will always be moved downwardly into the position of Fig. 3 whenever the carriage is collapsed, so as to prevent the interconnected flexible portions of the upholstery described above from being subjected to strains which might result in tearing the same.

The carriage is adapted to be propelled by means of a pusher handle of U-shape form, and the downwardly extending's'ides 20a of the handle 20 are connected by pivots 2| at their lower ends to upwardly extending portions 6a of the side frame members 5. Each handle side 20a carries a bracket 22 pivotedat 23 a short distance above the pivot 2I, and this bracket 22 serves as a support for one end of a side arm that extends forwardly and serves to holda side panel 9 in a vertical plane when the carriage is in an extended position. The forward ends of the side arms 24 are curved downwardly so as to generally conform to the shape of the associated side panels 9, and the lower end of each arm 24 is connected by a pivot 25 to the upper end of a lever 26 turnable on a fixed pivot 21 provided by the side frame member 6.

The ends of the two levers 26 which extend below the fixed pivots2l are connected by a crossbar 28, best shown in Fig. 4, and this crossbar 28 carrie s a slotted plate 29 adapted to receive a notch 30a provided near the end of a latch arm 30. The opposite end of the arm 36 is turnable on a pivot 3| carried by a bracket 32 secured to the underside of the dasher I3. The latch arm 30 provides a handle 33 extending forwardly from the dasher I3, when it occupies the position of Fig. 2, whereby the latch arm 33 may be disengaged manually from the crossbar 23 when it is desired to lower the dasher I3, without collapsing the carriage.

As previously pointed out, Fig. 2 illustrates the position of the parts of the carriage when it is being used to support its occupant in a reclining position, with the dasher I3 then being positively held where it is disposed entirely above its pivots I5,' with the sides of the dasher in substantial alinement with the side panels 9, so as to provide, in effect, a closed body. In this position of parts, the pusher handle 20 extends rearwardly at its upper end, and when the carriage is being propelled by the pusher handle 20, relative pivotal movement between the handle 20 and the side arms 24 is prevented by a latch 34 pivotally mounted on one handle side 28a and held in engagement with a fixed stop 35 by a spring 36. By raising the latch 34 from the position of Fig. 2, the pusher handle 20 can be swung forwardly about its pivots 2I in the direction of the dasher I3 in Fig. 2, in order to collapse the carriage and to simultaneously depress the dasher I3, "aswill next be described.

Assuming that the parts occupy the position of Fig. 2 when the latch 34 is lifted to disengage it from thestop 35, downward turning movement of the handle 20 about its pivots 21 will cause the side arms 23 to move forwardly and downwardly as the arms 24 swing on the bracket pivots 23 which are located above the handle pivots 2|. This movement will continue until the sides 20a of the handle 2!! reach an extreme position in which the closed end of the handle engages the folded down arms 24, as shown in Fig- 3. With the handle 20 in its lowermost 4 position, the curved ends of the arms 24 occupy a position below the level of the handle, wherein the levers 26 will have been turned about their fixed pivots 21 to position the inner ends of the levers at a point just below the frame members 6. As the levers 26 move into the position of Fig. 3, the crossbar 28, which connects the levers, will carry the latch arm 30 upwardly to swing the dasher I3 downwardly about its pivots I5 until it occupies the position of Fig. 3, wherein the dasher I3 extends forwardly of the running gear, entirely out of the way of the ends of the arms 24.

It will be readily understood from the above description of the operation of the handle 20 that as soon as the handle 20 starts its downward movement from the extended position of Fig. 2 into the collapsed position of Fig. 3, the dasher I3 will also start to swing downwardly in response to turning movement of the levers 26 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2. Consequently, by the time the handle 20 and the connected side arms 24 are fully collapsed, as shown in Fig. 3, the dasher is entirely out of the way of thehandle and side arms, and the space above the seat It is entirely clear to permit folding down the back If; to overlie the seat.

As a result of the above described connection between the dasher I3 and the handle 2|, the conversion of the carriage from an extended to a collapsed condition can always be made with the assurance that the dasher will be automatically removed from the raised position of Fig. '2, so that there will be no possibility of any of the body parts interfering with the dasher, or of subjecting the flexible portions of the upholstery, such as the gussets IT, to any strain or pull which might tear or otherwise damage the material. When the carriage is-converted from a collapsed to an extended condition, the dasher I3 is not returned to the position of Fig. 2 until the side arms 24 and handle 20 are fully extended, so that here again, there is no possibility of damaging the upholstery.

As previously noted, the dasher I3 can be disconnected from the handle 20 at any time 'by manually lifting the latch arm 30 to disengage its notch 33a from the plate 29 on crossbar 28, through the application of pressure to the handle 33. When this occurs, the dasher I3 will be free to swing downwardly to the position of Fig. 3. With the dasher thus disconnected from the handle 2t, the latter can be swung downwardly to a collapsed position, at any time, without interference between any of the operating parts. Obviously, the dasher will remain in its unlatched position with its latch arm 30 extending underneath the bottom bar '8, as long as it is desired to employ the vehicle as a stroller in which the occupant sits on the seat I8, with its feet in the dasher.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that by the present invention, there is provided an improved baby'carriage constructionof the collapsible type characterized by the fact that the dasher will-be automatically swung downwardly clear of the folding parts of the carriage whenever the pusher handle is moved to collapse the carriage, with the dasher occupying a position wherein it is disposed to receive the feet of a reclining occupant.

We claim:

1. In a baby carriage, the combination with running gearfor supporting :a carriage body comprising a pusher handle and side arms pivotally mounted with respect to the running gear so that the carriage can be converted from an extended to a collapsed condition, and a dasher pivotally mounted at the front of the running gear and positionable so as to receive the feet of the carriage occupant when in a reclining or sitting position, of a connection between said dasher and said side arms extending across the running gear below the pivotal mounting of said dasher, whereby said dasher is automatically lowered with respect to the running gear whenever said handle and said side arms are moved to convert the carriage from an extended to a collapsed condition.

2. In a baby carriage, the combination with running gear for supporting a carriage body comp-rising a pusher handle and side arms pivotally mounted with respect to the running gear so that the carriage can be converted from an extended to a collapsed condition, and a dasher pivotally mounted at the front of the running gear and positionable so as to receive the feet of the carriage occupant when in a reclining or sitting position, of a connection between said dasher and said side arms extending across the running gear below the pivotal mounting of said dasher for maintaining said dasher in a raised position to receive the feet of a reclining carriage occupant, with said connection serving to automatically lower said dasher within the running gear to prevent its engagement with parts of the body, in advance of movement of said handle and side arms from an extended to a collapsed position.

3. In a baby carriage, the combination with running gear having parts of a folding body mounted thereon comprising side panels, a back and a seat, with said body parts being connected together by flexible material, means for maintaining said body parts in either an extended or a collapsed condition and an open dasher pivotally mounted on the running gear so as to receive the feet of the occupant of the carriage in either reclining or sitting position, of a connection between said dasher and the sides of said body and extending across the running gear below the pivotal mounting of said dasher for maintaining said dasher in position to provide a closed end for the body when said sides are extended, with said connection serving to automatically shift said dasher out of the way to permit folding of the flexible material of said body, without strain, when converting the parts of the body from an extended to a collapsed condition.

4. In a baby carriage, the combination with running gear for supporting the parts of a folding body comprising a pusher handle, side arms and a back pivotally mounted with respect to the running gear, so that the carriage can be converted from an extended to a collapsed condition, with flexible material carried by the side arms being also connected to said back, and a dasher pivotally mounted at the front of the run ning gear and positionable so as to receive the feet of the carriage occupant when in a reclining or sitting position, of a connection between said dasher and said side arms extending across the running gear below the pivotal mounting of said dasher for maintaining said dasher in a raised position to provide a closed end for the body in cooperation with the extended side arms, with said connection serving to automatically lower said dasher within the running gear whenever said handle and side arms are moved to convert the carriage from an extended to a collapsed condition, to permit folding of the flexible material of the body without interference with said dasher.

5. In a baby carriage, the combination with running gear for supporting the parts of a folding body comprising a pusher handle, side arms and a back pivotally mounted with respect to the running gear, so that the carriage can be converted from an extended to a collapsed condition, with flexible material carried by the side arms being also connected to said back, and a dasher pivotally mounted at the front of the running gear and positionable so as to receive the feet of the carriage occupant when in a reclining or sitting position, of a connection between said side arms extending across the running gear, below the pivotal mounting of said dasher, and a latch arm connecting said dasher to said cross connection for causing said dasher to move simultaneously with said handle and side arms when converting said body from an extended to a collapsed condition or vice versa.

6. In a baby carriage, the combination with running gear for supporting the parts of a folding body comprising a pusher handle and side arms pivotally mounted with respect to the running gear, so that the carriage can be converted from an extended to a collapsed condition, and a dasher pivotally mounted at the front of the running gear and positionable so as to receive the feet of the carriage occupant, of a connection between said side arms extending across the running gear, below the pivotal mounting of said dasher, and a latch member connecting said dasher to said cross connection for causing said dasher to swing downwardly with said handle and side arms when converting said body from an extended to a collapsed condition.

' HELMER W. WICKMAN. GEORGE A. J. RACINE.

Name Date Number Lloyd Jan. 5, 1915 

